I don’t know about you, but I am SO freaken excited to have a long holiday weekend. (It has been a longgg week.) This year the 4th of July falls on a Tuesday, so if you are lucky you have Monday and Tuesday off from work.

The 4th of July is all about celebrating America (woo Go USA!) but, it is also a holiday about BBQing and drinking brewskis. Let’s face it – we tend to use any holiday as an excuse to eat and drink like crap.

So I have put together my top tips on staying healthy on this Independence Day Weekend/Week. Check out the below and remember you can have fun without eating until you puke red white and blue.

Cook Your Own Food:

If you are going to a BBQ offer to bring a dish. Even if they say you don’t have to, insist you bring something to contribute. Make a side dish that all will enjoy, but falls in line with your healthy eating habits. There are TONS of fun 4th of July themed snacks and meals you can make that are healthy. ( Veggie platter with hummus, fruit salad, homemade salsa with plantain chips, vegetables for grilling..etc..)

The 1:1 Rule:

If you are going to be consuming alcohol, try to make a plan. Is there a limit you want to stick to? Look up the nutritional facts of the beer or mixed drink you are planning on having and decide what makes sense for your goals. The 1:1 rule is for every 1 drink you consume you drink a glass of water with it or after it. This will help you stay hydrated and slow you down from chugging.

Pack Like a Pro:

Pack healthy snacks! If you are going out of town for the holiday make sure you bring snacks in your bag. These are things you can easily munch on if you are hungry and there is only unhealthy foods around. If nothing else – you can have some of the not so healthy stuff, but eat a bag of almonds or something better for your first so you are not starving and devouring every chip and cookie in sight.

**My go to snacks for traveling**

*Health Warrior Chia Bars

*Individual 100 calorie pack raw unsalted almonds

*Individual bags of Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder (to make a smoothie)

*Epic Chicken Sriracha Bars

*Banana or Apple

Move:

Whether you are going out of town or just have plans on the 4th, stick to an exercise regimen. Don’t let the holiday week/weekend be an excuse to sit around and be a lump. Try to wake up before anyone else to get in some cardio or pushups. If you know you will be eating and drinking make it a priority to exercise that day, maybe even something a bit more intense then you are used to so your metabolism is firing all day. (Try a 15-20 minute high intensity interval workout on Youtube, there are tons of great FREE videos)